Remembering the Blessing and Consecrating the Year to Come

January 1 - Octave of Christmas – The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God

Numbers 6:22-27 / Psalm 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8 / Galatians 4:4-7 / Luke 2:16-21

Remembering the Blessings and Consecrating the Year to Come

It is very likely that you have encountered images and stories of the key moments of the past year in recent weeks. Retrospectives are common at this time of year recalling the triumphs, tragedies, trends and turning points of life over the past 365 days.

This is a time of year I think Mary would feel comfortable. The Gospel of Luke tells us, “Mary treasured all these things and reflected on them in her heart.” Perhaps these are the days to take stock of our own personal images and stories from the year gone by; pictures and videos of birthday parties and weddings, the new addition to the family on the Christmas post card; pictures of vacations and special events. Scrapbooks and photo albums are ways for us to remember the good times we have come through, or even how we have been able to weather the tough times.

The people of Israel knew tough times. The Book of Numbers recounts their situation en route to the Promised Land. Out in the desert there were many hard times, and the Lord used these to teach them his ways. The blessing in our reading today can help us to reflect:

            The Lord bless you and keep you!

            The Lord let his face shine upon you and be gracious to you!

            The Lord look upon you kindly and give you his peace!

The key line is the middle one, for no one is worthy to see the face of God and live. Yet the blessing invokes that experience. Out in the desert, the Israelites, still far from the Promised Land, were told they would see the face of God.

Whether our year has been a desert journey, or a stay in the Promised Land, it might be good today to count our blessings, to look back over the year and see what moments were grace for us. What trials turned into blessings? What good things filled our lives with joy? Take a few moments to consider what events, people and places you would preserve in your scrap book for this “Anno Domini.” When in this Year of Our Lord have you seen a glimpse of the face of God?

• List five to ten key moments in the past year of your life. Which three were most important for you? Why? Which ones tested your faith, and or helped you grow in it?
• Take a moment to pray the blessing from today’s first reading. What does each line mean to you? How do you connect this blessing to the year gone by, and the year to come?
• Consider what you might face in the year to come. Pray to God consecrating the year ahead to him that he may “Look upon you kindly and give you his peace.”